1whole chicken or 8 chicken thighs(with bone and skin on)
1large white or yellow onion,quartered
2carrots,washed, scrubbed and cut in half – no need to peel
2celery stalks,cut in half with leaves
4-5sprigs fresh parsley,
4-5sprigs fresh thyme
4garlic cloves,whacked
1bay leaf
1tablespoonsalt
1teaspoonblack peppercorns
Chicken Soup:
1tablespoonolive oil
½onion,finely chopped
salt and pepper
7-8cupschicken stock
2fresh tomatoes,diced
3large carrots,chopped
1large potato,peeled and cubed
1malanga,peeled and cubed
1½cupscalabaza,peeled and cubed
7ouncesdried fideos(noodles or vermicelli pasta)
½large fresh lime
fresh cilantro/parsley for ganish
Instructions
Chicken Stock:
In a large soup/stock pot, add your chicken, onions, carrots, celery, parsley, thyme, garlic, bay leaf, salt, and peppercorns. Add 6-7 quarts of water, cover and bring to a boil, (approximately 15 minutes). Lower the heat, uncover and simmer for 1½ hours if using thighs and 2 hours for whole chicken.
Carefully remove chicken from pot and transfer to plate, allow to slightly cool; shred meat off the bones and set aside or store in refrigerator until ready to use.
Place bones back in pot continue to simmer, uncovered for 2½ hours (for maximum flavor and health benefit simmer 6-8 hours), skimming off the foam every 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat; cool and strain with a fine mesh colander or cheesecloth and discard solids from stock.
Allow stock to cool completely, transfer to a glass bowl and refrigerate for a couple of hours or over night.
Remove solidified fat from surface and use as your base for your soup or transfer back in the refrigerator for future use.
Soup:
Heat oil in a large pot over medium meat. Add onion and sauté for 2 minutes, season with salt and pepper. Add stock, tomatoes, carrots, potato, malanga and calabaza and bring to a boil for 5 minutes, lower heat and simmer until veggies are softened (20-25 minutes).
Add fideos and cook 6-7 minutes.
Add chicken, stir (it warms quickly), season with salt and pepper to taste. Finish off with a squeeze of fresh lime juice and/or fresh cilantro or parsley .